Judith Bensaddi: A Tale [pp. 561-571]

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which is little known in England, and which
both surprised and gratified us, when we observed it in America. The slaves, in general, seem
to be as contented and merry a set of beings as
any in the world. They laugh, and sing, and
dance, not to'drive dull care away,' for dull
care seems never to visit them: they seem to
think that, as they themselves belong to their
master, he is bound to take their cares into the
bargain; so they throw the vexatious pack upon
his shoulders, and leap for very lightness of heart
at their deliverance."
"Now, brother, (said the young lady playfully,)
did not I tell you when we left Savannah, that
if you staid much longer among these merry
slaves, you would renounce abolitionism, and defend slavery as the best condition of poor laborers. You know what care-worn wretches most
of our hireling laborers and small jobbers are at
home, especially the mechanics and manufacturers, how hard they must work for a scanty subsistence, while they are healthy and strong; how
precarious their resources, and how little they can
hope to lay up for their future support; and consequently, what a miserable prospect they have
for the coming days of sickness and old agehaving nothing better to rely on than the cold
comfort of the parish hospital, with a stinted dole
of public charity often grudgingly administered.
What a contrast to your light-hearted slaves, who
are sure of a competency without care on their
part, a provision which they look to as their
right, and enjoy without the mortification of being dependauts on charity. Thus released from
the care of providing for themselves and their
families, their only remaining care is how to get
easily through the hours of labor, and merrily
through all the rest. Now, brother, have you not
proved that we ought to renounce abolitionism?"
" Not yet, my sister. You have made an ingenious web of my argument, and thrown it dexterously over my own head; but you have not
so fastened the loop-holes, but that I can escape
its entanglements. Every thing that has length
and breadth has two sides, you know. So has
slavery, and so has free labor. I turned up the
bright side of slavery, and you showed the dark
side of free labor. The contrast was strikingly
advantageous to slavery —so you clapped, without further ceremony, this inference upon me, as
the conclusion of the whole matter. That was
not fair-was it, sir?"
"You need not appeal, brother, forI acknowledge that I was too hasty. But sir', (said she,
addressing me,) we are sincerely gratified at one
result of our observations thus far in America.
We have discovered that negro slavery is not ot
all sides so dark and doleful as we had imagined.
It has, indeed, some cheerful, sunny spots, de
lightful to look upon. Brother, tell Mr. Garame
of the pleasant scenes that we witnessed at Colonel P —'s, where we saw the negro wedding.
That sight would have convinced any one that
slaves might be happy in their slavery. It was
an example in point-or, what I have heard Doctor Magruder call, an ocular demonstration.
Do tell it, brother."
" Tell it yourself, Judith, for you enjoyed the
sight fully as much as I did, and you probably
remember the circumstances better."
A slight tinge of rose-colored modesty suffused her cheek, as she hesitated a moment to
answer.
" I fear that 1 should make a wearisome story
of it-for, after all, it was but an humble scene
ofjoy, felt by untutored hearts, and manifested
in a way so unrefined, as to afford little scope for
entertaining description; especially when told to
one who is so familiar with incidents of the kind
as I suppose Mr. Garame is. Such pleasant
passages in the experience of slaves often occur
in this country, I presume-but they are almost
unheard of in England-and I shall carry this
one home in my memory for the edification of
some friends there, who have been lately filled
with dismal ideas of American slavery, and almost raging indignation against all slaveholders.
We were fast catching the same dark colored
views and feelings when we embarked for America. One object of our voyage was, that we
might see how the poor slaves lived and fared,
and what could or ought to be done for their relief-and we rejoice to find, that in some cases,
nothihg better can be done for them, than to
leave them in the undisturbed possession of their
blessings."
" I am glad that you have found it so-but,
Miss Bensaddi, I beg that you will favor me with
an account of the negro wedding. I know that
the slaves in my part of the country have as light
a task of labor, and enjoy as many comforts, as
common laborers can well experience in any
country or any condition; and that they have
both hearts and leisure to firolic as much as their
white fellow-laborers; but I am a stranger in
these Southern parts, and have had very limited
opportunity of observing the condition of the
slaves. You will, therefore, gratify me by giving
a sketch of the wedding scene."
"Well, sir, an imperfect sketch is all that I can
promise. We went by invitation to the hospita)le mansion of Colonel P —. On approaching
the house, we observed a large party of slaves,
before one of the quarters, by the yard fence, and
we were struck with their tidy apparel and joyou8 looks. Seeing us regard them withinterest,
C,ol. P remarked that they were to have a
wedding among them that evening. When o
1850.1
Judith Bensaddi.
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